BMO hails report on drop in terrorism casualties, as Police confirm bandits’ attack, killing of vigilantes in Kebbi
The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has described reports of the improved security situation in the country as a testament to President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration’s single-minded commitment to tackling insecurity in the country, just as Police in Kebbi State confirmed the killing of vigilantes in the State.
BMO in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke that the reports also show that the security agencies are living up to expectations.
“We find it gratifying that at least two independent bodies are reporting levels of improvement in the security situation in Nigeria, few weeks after President Buhari gave his words on what was then seen as an intractable challenge
“Perhaps the more interesting of the two reports is the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) which noted the country’s successes in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the GTI, which is published by an independent and non-profit think tank, the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), showed that total deaths from terrorism in Nigeria fell to its lowest level since 2011.
“We see this is as a remarkable feat in a country that once saw insurgents massacre an entire community in the course of their mindless bloodletting.
“In addition to this is a report that terror-related casualties dropped by almost half compared with the previous year. An independent news outlet-Premium Times reported that fewer people were killed in Nigeria last week than any other week since the beginning of the year.”
BMO noted that the armed forces deserve commendation for ensuring a reduction in terror-related casualties, but also urged them to sustain the momentum.
“The feat clearly has a lot to do with improved performance of officers and men of the armed forces in the aftermath of a marching order from President Buhari following a January 5 incident when bandits invaded about five communities in Zamfara State and killed over 200 villagers while also setting many houses ablaze.
“We want to place it on record that it was in the middle of a military operation against the terrorists who then indulged in indiscriminate killings.
“We urge Nigerians to note that the decline in the number of terrorism-related deaths in Nigeria is as a result of efforts by the Nigerian authorities to go after all terrorists, including those usually described as bandits.
“We also acknowledge that the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt General Lucky Irabor recently assured that peace was gradually returning to troubled parts of the country due to the efforts of security agencies and para-military organizations.”
The group urged Nigerians to continue to trust in the capacity of the President to ensure that security challenges in the country are reduced to the barest minimum.
However, Police in Kebbi had during the week confirmed an attack on members of local vigilance group, “Yansa Kai” at Makuku Village in Sakaba Local Government Area of the state on Sunday.
The attack resulted in the killing of unspecified number of members of the vigilance group.
Police spokesman in the state, DSP Nafiu Abubakar, said that the attack was believed to have been carried out by bandits terrorising Niger and Zamfara.
He said the police were still compiling a report on the number of casualties.
“Actually, some members of ‘Yansa Kai’ lost their lives on Sunday in Mokuku Village.
“The bandits were escaping from Air Force attacks in Niger and parts of Zamfara.
“Yansa Kai vigilantes saw them, but rather than reporting to the police or to relevant authorities, they decided to confront the bandits and some of them were killed.
“We are yet to ascertain the actual figure of victims as we are still compiling our report.”
